On the one hand, I’m not averse to letting the Iraqis stew in their own ethnic turmoil juices, then fall. But then, I have sympathies for Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians (all defined as “protected” People of the Book in Al Q’ran). And I know we will be next.

The Pentagon is trying to find its derriere. Naval aircraft can fly 1,000 miles to intervene; Air Force B-2s can fly 12,000 miles from Missouri. But ONE weapon was designed to do the job that is necessary: the A-10 “Warthog.”

ONE squadron of A-10s based in Erbil could cover much of Northern Iraq and all of Kurdish (our only real Iraqi allies) territory. They have a proven record of decimating enemy troops (_see, Kuwait) in small or large convoys. Northern Iraq is a target-rich environment.

BUT: The last thing the Air Force wants to do is re-introduce an effective aircraft that they are determined to decommission; the Navy wants to keep its kudos, and the Army can’t send Apaches because they are very close to “boots on the ground” (and sometimes get shot down).